Explosive composition



ill

Patented 22,

is m w Fry t ha r .5

Ilsa e WALTERU. SNELLING, 0F ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIQE'CB TO TRQJ'AN PO'WDER CGB'IPANY, 015 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF'NEW YGEK.

EXPLDSIVE COMPOSITION.

No Drawing.

7 '0 aZZwho-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVaLren O. SNELLING, a citizen of the lhuted States, residing in Allentown, Lehigh bounty, Pennsylvania,'

detonating explosives, and more particularly in detonating; explosives belonging to that class in which sensitivcness to detonation is noticeably decreased 'when the explosives are firmly packed, and to which explosives it is common practice to add wood pulp. \vood flour, bran, or other equivalent light and bulky carbohydrate product for the purpose of decreasing the density of the finished eX- plosive and to keep it from packing so firn'ily as to prevent detonation when loaded into cartridges under normal conditions or -when pressed into a bore-hole in actual use.

While the use of Wood pulp and cquivzu lent light and fluffy materials for the purpose of decreasing the density of explosives has proved of great practical utility, there are certain classes of explosives in which such carbonaceous'materials have not hither-- to been successfully used. For example in the formulation of explosives for use in coal mines, it has frequently been found that the addition of Wood pulp or equivalent material in quantities suilicient to brin; about the desired decrease in density of the lin ished explosive, causes an increase in the flame temperature to an extent rendering the explosive undersirablc for use in gaseous or dusty mines.

One object of this invention is town-old the increased temperature caused by the addition of said carbonaceous materials Whereby the explosives are made suitable for use in coa-l mining work and under conditions similar to those found in coal mines. a further object being to reduce the amount of carbon-monoxide which is produced in the explosives.

I have found that if a carbohydrate material such as Wood pulp, wood flour, bran, Wheat Iniddlings, or other equivalent light and fiufiy product is impregnated ivith'a substance capable of absorbing heat in the course of the explosive reaction and of re tarding the combustion of carbon, the pre pared product so formed may be added to an explosive composition in considerable Application filed August is, 1920.

Serial No. {$64,610.

quantities without unduly raising the flame temperature, and that accordingly such prepared product may be used to give the desired low density to an explosive without making the explosive unsuitable foruse in coal mining Work.

As examples of the impregnating material which I have found suitable for the purpose of this inventiornl may name such sub stances as sodium chloride, sodium silicate and ethane hexachloride, although there are any substances which may be used as equivalents of these materials. In ordertobe successfully employed, such substancesshould be neither combustible nor supporters of combustion, should be free ofs av'a-ilubl'e oxygen and of substances of a combustible. nature. Thus while sodium chloride, and ethane hexachloride are particularly sutisfactory in the application of my invention,

such substances as magnes um sulfate, sodium phosphate, sodium thiosulfate and calcium chloride may be ,psed, and in gen-- oral any solid noncombustible soluble body which is free of available oxygen and which acts ne1ther as a combustible nor as a supporter of combustion when in contact with a flame may be employed.

As an example of the preparation of a material suitable for use in connection with my present invention, 1 -will describe the method by which I treat wood pulp for use in an ammonium nitrate explosive. I first prepare a concentrated solution of sodium chloride or equivalent substance, and tllOlOHQlllY saturate my 'WOOd pulp with the solution so prepared, this saturation being accomplished by boilin; the Wood pulp in.

the saturated solution of the sodium chloride or equivalent substance for the requi site length of time. sures l. have obtained satisfactory results in from ten to thirty minutes of boiling. After the wood pulp is thoroughly impregnated, the excess solution may be removed from the pulp in a centrifugal or in any other convenient Way, the impregnated'wood pulp then being dried and the finished product being a light and fluffy material thoroughly suited to the purpose for which it is employed.

This prepared flufiing agent I may use in conjunctionwith other normal ingredients of an explosive in quantities ranging from 1% up to 20% of the finished product. its

Under normal pres-' an example of one composition whic l to give satisfactory results, the it formula is cited:

Nitrostarch 15.0% Amatol u "('5.-% Zincoxid 12% 'l reated wood pulp 0% Sodium nitrate 78% As another example of the use of my prepared wood pulp in an explosive. and particularly for the purpose or avoiding the presence of an excessive amount of poisonous carbon monoxide in the products of combustion, the following formula may be considered Nitrostarch 25.0% Ammonium nitrate 10.0% Sodium nitrate 48.5% Sodium bicarbonate .5% Treated wood flour 3.0% Marble dust 13.0%

. an explosive made in accordance with the principles described above, the volatile products from the wood pulp or other material used are driven out by the intense heat generated, but the combustion of the carbon is prevented by the presence of the incombustible impregnating agent. As a result the carbondoes not enter into the explosive reaction, and the flame temperature. is reduced 7 by an amount equivalent to the heat which the combustion of this amount of carbon Would otherwise have yielded. Furthermore in all commercial explosives, some car bon dioxide is produced in the explosion, and it an excess of carbon is present at the moment of explosion, this excess of carbon reacts with the carbondioxide, the carbon dioxide being reduced to carbon monoxide,

which is a very poisonous gas. Since the carbon in the carbohydrate material prepared as described is prevented from reacting chemically at the instant of explosion, it is possible by my invention to prepare explosives of relatively low density which produce gases much less objectionable and poisonous than the gases produced by other explosives containing an equivalent amount of untreated carbonhydrate material. A composition similar to that of the second of the two formulas above mentioned in which ordinary Wood flour is used instead of the treated, will produce an excessive amount of carbon monoxide on explosion, and the explosion gases would be dangerous to-breathe, so that such an-explo-- sive could not be used in any confined place such as a mine. By the use of Wood flour. trea ed as described, an explosiveof the desired density is produced, but the carbon present in the wood fiour being prevented irom'reacting at the time of explosion, the explosion gases are relatively free from carbon monoxide.

I claim:

1. An explosive comprising a detonating agent and a carbohydrate material impregnated with a fire-resisting compound.

2. An explosive comprising a dctonating.

agent and fibers of cellulose saturated with a non-combustible salt containing no available oxygen.

3. An explosive comprising a detonating agent, a salt containing available oxygen, and Wood pulp impregnated with sodium chloride. 1

An explosive comprising nitro'starch and a carbohydrate material,impregnated with a fire resisting compound.

5. An explosive comprising nitrostarch and fibres of cellulose saturated ivith a noncombustible salt containing no available oxygen.

6. An explosive comprising nitrostarch. an inorganic salt containing available oxypen, in i a carbob mlrate material impregnated with a fire resisting compound.

7. An explosive comprising a detonating agent, a salt containing available oxygen, and Wood pulp impregnated with sodium chloride.

WALTER O SNELLING. 

